Thursday, April 26, 2012

Day of IMPACT

Phew - I can't believe it has been two years. Two years since Jilly and Chase when to Heaven. I will never forget the moment in which Adam shared the tragic news with me. The emotions and the memories of that day and the week that followed are still as vivid as they were two years ago.

But this post isn't about how horrific and sad Jill's passing was, this post is about the IMPACT my dear friend Adam (Jill's younger brother) has made. He has gone beyond turning lemons into lemonade, he is a true inspiration. He and Jilly were close, each other's biggest fans, and losing Jilly could have paralyzed him.but instead of climbing under the covers, he put his love for Jill into action and started the Jill E. Harrington Hanzalik Memorial Fund.

Adam is beyond determined and he has done amazing things with this foundation in just the two short years it has been around. It is a damn shame that the fund exists at all, but one thing is for sure, Jilly is smiling down on Adam and beaming with pride when she looks over all the children's lives the fund has enriched. The JEHH fund has already given out close to $50,000 in grants - impressive huh? The mission is simple: give kids a chance to chase their dreams. It could be as simple as getting an aspiring gymnast private lessons for a few months, or paying for art lessons for kids who have always wanted to give their creative side a try.

The accomplishments to date are impressive, jaw dropping some would say, but I can't say I am surprised. I get goosebumps when I think about how proud of Adam I am. Adam and I have been close for years, but lately I have found myself reflecting on the remarkable man he has become. So today in honor of Jill's passing, Adam and the Fund have established a day of IMPACT, a day to make a difference, a day to donate to a great cause. I usually donate on Mother's Day, but I couldn't miss out on making an IMPACT.

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Blogging about my life as a wife, a working mother, a friend, a daughter, an avid spray painter, a monogram lover, a champagne drinker, a Red Sox fan, a Mexican food craver, a lover of planners and organizational tools, a reader of People Magazine, a Pinterest pinning fool, a back in the day 90210 fan, a slight control freak, a mother who wants nothing but to raise kind little humans, and most of all a woman who is in search of faith and patience.